


This Is My Winter Song To You

by doctornineandthreequarters



Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Feelings Realization, First Kiss, Fluff, Ice Skating, Idiots in Love, Love Confessions, M/M, Soft Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV), Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-18
Updated: 2020-12-18
Packaged: 2021-03-10 16:28:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,689
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28050174
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/doctornineandthreequarters/pseuds/doctornineandthreequarters
Summary: “I found it.” Eddie tilted his head and Buck just chuckled. “You know how I told you about those sleds for skating? Well I found a skating rink that has them! It’s like a half hour from here.”“Guess I should’ve never doubted your ability to research.”---Or, a series of events around ice skating lead to some important realizations and confessions.
Relationships: Christopher Diaz & Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV), Eddie Diaz & Maddie Buckley (9-1-1 TV), Evan "Buck" Buckley & Christopher Diaz & Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV), Evan "Buck" Buckley & Christopher Diaz (9-1-1 TV), Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV)
Comments: 14
Kudos: 142
Collections: 911 Gift Exchange 2020





	This Is My Winter Song To You

**Author's Note:**

  * For [benjaminrussell](https://archiveofourown.org/users/benjaminrussell/gifts).



> Hi friend! Happy 9-1-1 gift exchange! I hope you like the story. I had a lot of fun writing it :D

“Eddie?” Eddie, who had been checking his schedule on his phone while waiting for Christopher at pick-up, looked up. The person who had called out to was one of the mom’s of Christopher’s classmates, a shorter woman with a sleek, blonde bob.

“Oh, hi Diana.”

“I hope I’m not interrupting,” She said, a polite smile on her face. Of all the moms in Christopher’s class, he liked Diana the most. She was honest and straight-forward. Also, the fact that she didn’t flirt with him certainly helped.

“Just checking something for work,” Eddie said, pocketing his phone. “Everything alright?”

“Well Rebecca is going to be passing out the invitations to her birthday party tomorrow,” Diana said and Eddie just nodded. “And I wanted to talk to you before she did.” Eddie frowned a little at that. His son was extremely popular amongst his classmates, based on the amount of sleepovers and birthday parties he was invited to, so the idea that he wouldn’t be invited to this party was a little surprising. “Rebecca’s having her birthday at an ice skating rink.”

“Oh,” Eddie said with a slight sigh. Now it made sense.

“We just don’t want Christopher feeling bad,” Diana said. “I hope you understand.” Eddie bit the inside of his cheek. He could see kids coming outside and didn’t want Christopher hearing any part of this conversation. 

“Yeah, no I get it.” Diana gave him a sympathetic smile and Eddie fought back a sigh. “Thanks for letting me know.” She nodded and then walked away. Eddie needed to table everything he was feeling as he spotted Christopher making his way over to him.

“Hi dad!” Eddie smiled, squatting down to hug his son. 

“Hey kid.” Eddie pressed a kiss to the side of his head before straightening up. “Ready to head home?” Christopher nodded, that bright, perfect smile still on his face. Eddie knew that tomorrow that wouldn’t be the case, that he’d be hurt for missing out on a classmates birthday and even more so that his CP was the reason why he wasn’t invited. 

But for now, Eddie could listen as Christopher rambled on about his day, that smile still ever-present.

* * *

“Dude, are you okay?” Eddie was sitting on his couch, barely nursing a beer. Buck had come over for dinner and movies, as he often did. Buck, ever perceptive, could tell something was off the minute he walked in. But between Eddie avoiding his gaze and Christopher’s excited chatter, Eddie had been able to avoid talking about what was bothering him. 

But now, with Christopher asleep and Buck watching him carefully, Eddie knew that he couldn’t avoid this anymore, especially with how insistent Buck was when it came to talking and opening up.

“Not really,” Eddie said with a sigh. He sat the beer bottle he was barely drinking down on the coffee table in front of him. He glanced at Buck, who was watching him patiently. “One of the mom’s in Chris’s class came up to me at pick-up. Christopher isn’t being invited to her daughter’s birthday party.”

“What the hell?” Eddie just sighed. “Well, why the hell not? I thought all the kids in his class love Chris.”

“They do,” Eddie said. “But she’s having a birthday party at an ice skating rink.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.” Eddie ran a hand down his face. “It would be different if Christopher and I could have a conversation about why maybe going to this party wouldn’t be a good idea. But this mom and her daughter took that decision away. So now, I’m going to have an upset kid and one more thing he thinks he can’t do.”

“Okay, well that mom sucks.”

“She’s actually one of the nice ones,” Eddie said. “And she’s happy enough in her marriage that she doesn’t hit on me, like some of the other moms.” Buck raised an eyebrow. “But it’s just...look, I know with Christopher’s CP there are things he needs more help with. And he’s learning that too, but not in a bad way. But this going is going to make him feel bad. And I don’t want my kid to feel bad.”

“Well, has Christopher ever wanted to go ice skating before?” Buck asked. 

“Not really,” Eddie said. “There was one ice skating rink in El Paso that was pretty terrible and people only really went there on bad dates.”

“Sounds like there’s a story there,” Buck said and Eddie chuckled a little. “You can tell me another time. So, if Christopher has never expressly said he wanted to go ice skating, why are you worried that he’s going to be upset?”

“Because he’s a kid,” Eddie said. “He’s going to be upset that he’s not being included. And knowing my kid, he’s going to want to figure out a way to go ice skating so he can prove that he never has to be left out of something like this again.”

“Wonder where he gets that from,” Buck said with a small smile. Eddie tilted his head. “He’s a problem-solver, just like his dad.” Eddie smiled a little at that. “And if Christopher wants to go ice skating, then you’ll figure something out, just like you did with the whole skateboarding thing.”

“Yeah well I had help with that,” Eddie said, knowing that he had only found the adaptive skateboard for Christopher because Buck was a master of Google. 

“Well, I can help you, if you want me to.” And Eddie couldn’t help but smile because of course Buck would offer to help him. It was one of the things Eddie...really liked about Buck.

“Well, you do love research.” Buck smiled at that, before reaching his arm over to pat Eddie’s shoulder. 

“And you know, I like helping you and Christopher of course.” His hand stayed on Eddie’s shoulder a little while longer and Eddie could feel his ears heat up. Buck either didn’t notice or didn't say anything, eventually pulling his hand away and changing topics, which Eddie was grateful for. He had enough to think about, with this ice skating party and worrying about Christopher, that he didn’t have time to deal with how his heart beat a little faster when Buck smiled at him. 

Or maybe he just wasn’t ready to deal with it at all.

* * *

Eddie was relaxing on the couch in the station, watching Hen and Chimney play video games, when Buck plopped down next to him. Eddie glanced up at him and noticed he was grinning. 

“What’s got you in such a good mood?” Eddie asked, smirking at the very excited gleam in Buck’s eyes. 

“I found it.” Eddie tilted his head and Buck just chuckled. “You know how I told you about those sleds for skating? Well I found a skating rink that has them! It’s like a half hour from here.”

“Guess I should’ve never doubted your ability to research.”

“I do love my research,” Buck said. “It’s nice to have something to look for instead of spiraling down the rabbit hole of the entire world wide web.” Eddie chuckled. “But it’ll be great. You should totally take Christopher.”

“Take Christopher where?” Hen and Chimney had stopped playing their video game, now focused on Buck and Eddie. 

“Ice skating,” Buck said. “I found this place that has these sled skates so Christopher can actually get on the ice.”

“If you think I’m taking him there without you then you’re crazy,” Eddie said.

“Maddie said you’re both pretty good on skates,” Chimney said. Buck chuckled and shrugged. 

“Yeah well in Pennsylvania there’s not much to do in the winter,” Buck said. “Maddie and I used to go skating all the time. Although, we preferred counting how many people would fall.” Everyone chuckled at that.

“Well, if you boys are going ice skating with Christopher,” Hen said. “Then how about some extra company?” Eddie glanced at Buck who nodded. 

“Yeah, why not?” Eddie said and Hen smiled. “Chim, care to join us?”

“Well I haven’t skated in a long time,” Chimney said. “And I don’t necessarily think Maddie will want to right now.” Hen snorted. “She’s at that stage of pregnancy where her ankles just hurt all the time.”

“You’re supposed to help with that,” Hen pointed out. Chimney huffed, earning a chuckle from Buck and Eddie. 

“Well, you should still mention it to my sister in case she wants to hang out with a crappy cup of hot chocolate.” Chimney nodded, pulling his phone out of his pocket.

“What about crappy hot chocolate?” Bobby asked, coming over.

“We’re taking Christopher ice skating,” Buck said. “Hen and Chimney are joining. Would Harry want to come along?”

“Well I can text Athena,” Bobby said. “But it sounds like fun.”

“Yeah just don’t show us up on the ice, figure skater,” Hen said and Bobby rolled his eyes. 

“Guess we know who’s setting the table,” Bobby said, giving Hen a pointed look. Hen scoffed before heading over to the kitchen. “Lunch will be up in a few minutes.” Chimney nodded, going over to help Hen. 

“So ice skating then,” Buck said with a smile. “And with everyone coming along, Chris is going to have a great time.” Eddie just smiled, watching Buck. It was moments like these, when Buck was doing just about everything to make Christopher happy, when Buck put others' needs before him, that Eddie thought about thinking with his heart over his head. But that wasn’t an easy conversation to start, especially not at work. “What?”

“Nothing,” Eddie said with a chuckle as he got up, Buck following after him. “Ice skating will be great. Not that Christopher needs any of that to have a good time, since he adores you and all.”

“Well, you know I’d do anything for that kid.” Eddie smiled softly and he was sure he saw Buck blush. “Come on. I’m starving.” Buck jogged over the table and Eddie could only watch, that same soft smile still on his face.

* * *

Eddie smiled as he watched Buck push Christopher across the ice, Harry and Denny racing to keep up with them. Christopher was having the best time. But then again, as Eddie had pointed out, Christopher always had a great time when Buck was involved. And of course, Buck was like a kid in a candy store, a bright smile on his face from the moment he showed up at the house. 

“It’s always nice to see him smile.” Eddie turned his head as Maddie approached his side. She had a cup of hot chocolate in one hand, the other gently sitting on her very protruding stomach. Hen had a pool on when Maddie would give birth. Eddie’s money was on New Years, but Buck said both he and Maddie had been early, so his money was on Christmas.

“It’s nice to see everyone smile,” Eddie said, looking back on the ice. Hen and Karen were skating hand-in-hand, Chimney doing loops around them as they all talked. Athena and Bobby were skating near where the boys were, watching them with careful eyes.

“Well sure,” Maddie said. “But Buck’s been through a lot. Both in the last year or so and in general.”

“Yeah,” Eddie said with a nod. He knew that Buck had been through the ringer. Between his leg, Ali breaking up with him, the tsunami, and the lawsuit, it had been tough going for Buck for a while. But things were better now, pretty close to perfect, if you asked Eddie. “Things have been pretty great lately.”

“And you know,” Maddie said, continuing on. “He’s never happier than when he’s with Christopher.” Eddie smiled a little and glanced back at Buck and Christopher. Buck had stopped the sled and was kneeling at his son’s eye-level, talking to the nine-year-old. Both had wide grins on their face, making Eddie’s smile grow bigger. 

“Well Christopher adores him,” Eddie said, still watching them. “And I know the feeling’s mutual for Buck.”

“He’s got that same happiness when you’re around.” Eddie glanced back at Maddie. “Both of you make my brother really happy.” Eddie felt his ears go red and Maddie gave him a knowing smile. “And you seem pretty happy around him. So I guess my question is, what are you waiting for?”

“I, uh, I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Maddie snorted. Eddie’s ears burned red at that. 

“Sure you don’t.” Eddie rubbed the back of his neck as he glanced back over at Buck, who had gone back to pushing Christopher. “He’ll wait forever for you Eddie. But that doesn’t mean you should make him.” Eddie opened his mouth ready to say something, when he saw Buck and Christopher making their way over to him. 

“Dad!”

“Hey buddy,” Eddie said with a smile approaching the barrier between them. “Having fun?”

“Yeah!” Eddie glanced at Buck who was watching both of them with a fond smile. Maddie’s words echoed in his ears and he just had to hope he wasn’t still blushing profusely. “But you should join us!”

“Yeah Eds,” Buck said with a smile. “It’s fun.”

“I don’t know,” Eddie said. Christopher pouted and even Buck gave him a look. 

“Please dad?” Eddie sighed. There was a reason he wasn’t getting on the ice. But as his son and his best friend stared at him with almost matching puppy-dog eyes, he knew he was not going to win this battle. 

“Alright.” Christopher cheered and Buck chuckled before going back to pushing the boy on the sled. Eddie sighed as little as they skated away. He then glanced at Maddie, who was watching him with a playful smirk. He huffed before heading over to the skate rentals, hoping he didn’t totally make a fool of himself. 

* * *

Eddie stepped out onto the ice tentatively, holding onto the wall for support. It had been a long time since he went ice skating, so he was relatively concerned.

“Nice of you to join us!” Chimney called, skating past. Christopher, who Chimney and Denny were currently pushing, let out a giggle and waved to Eddie. Eddie plastered a smile on his face until his son was no longer facing him. 

“Eds.” He was still gripping onto the wall when Buck appeared in front of him. “You okay?” Eddie grunted in response and Buck tilted his head. “You don’t skate, do you?”

“Can’t say I do,” Eddie said, his fingers gripping onto the wall so tightly he was sure his knuckles were turning white. “But you both were staring at me with those faces, so how could I say no?” Buck chuckled and Eddie shot him a glare. 

“Just let go of the wall,” Buck said, tugging his arm. “It’ll be fine.”

“Buck.”

“Hey, I’ve got your back, alright?” Eddie watched him for a second, noting the sincere look on Buck’s face. It made his stomach do a couple of flips and his heart jump. He just nodded wordlessly before letting go of the wall. “Now, just glide.” Eddie nodded taking small steps as he started to move. 

“I’ve only been ice skating once,” Eddie admitted, as they slowly moved. “I took Shannon on a date when we were in high school, thinking it would be cute. What I didn’t realize was my balance would be terrible on these things and that she had once wanted to be a figure skater and could skate circles around me.”

“Did you fall?”

“No, but I also never let go of the wall,” Eddie said. Buck chuckled as they fell into a comfortable silence. He glanced at Buck, who was humming happily as they moved along the ice. Maddie’s words still echoed in his ears and he couldn’t help but wonder if Buck did feel the same way he did. Buck certainly hadn’t tried dating anyone since Ali. And he had seemed more than happy when things between him and Ana hadn’t gone anywhere. And they did spend most, if not all of their free time together. So, if they both felt the same, then what were they waiting for?

Eddie was about to say something, when he started to lose his balance. He let out a yelp, his arms flailing slightly as he tried to not topple over. He cursed himself for falling for Buck and Christopher’s adorable begging, knowing he was going to hit the ice and embarrass himself in front of his friends and family, as well as hundreds of strangers. 

“I got you.” He felt Buck grab his arm, steadying him and then stopping him from moving completely. Eddie just nodded, trying to swallow the fear and embarrassment he was feeling. But then, as he looked up, he realized that Buck had also tugged Eddie closer to him. Eddie swallowed, finding himself transfixed by Buck’s eyes. He noticed a faint blush cross Buck’s cheeks as Eddie stared at him. Maddie had told him not to make Buck wait forever. But was this the moment? Was this the time that they crossed that line into something more?

“Dad!” He turned his head, seeing Chimney reappear with Christopher. “Dad, I want you and Buck to push me.” He noticed Chimney staring at them with a knowing look and Eddie had to wonder how obvious his feelings were if both Chimney and Maddie had noticed. 

“Well, I don’t know how fast we’ll go, kid,” Eddie said and Christopher shrugged. 

“Have fun you three,” Chimney said with a smirk, before skating over to where Maddie was. Buck tugged Eddie over to the sled and Eddie quickly latched onto the bar at the back, glad for something to hold onto that was not the object of his affection. As the sled started to move, Eddie focused gliding one foot in front of the other and not how fast his heart thumped every time Buck’s shoulder brushed against his.

* * *

Eddie let out a small sigh as he opened the door to the house, Buck a step behind him carrying Christopher. Christopher was thoroughly wiped after their night out and had fallen asleep as soon as they had gotten into the car.

“Does skating always hurt your ankles?” Eddie huffed as they walked into the living room. Buck chuckled, gently adjusting Christopher in his arms. “Here, let me put him down.”

“I got it,” Buck said. “Go sit.” Eddie gave Buck a look and Buck just smiled. He nodded to the couch and Eddie shook his head fondly before sitting down. Buck, satisfied that Eddie had listened to him, then left the room. Eddie sighed to himself, toeing off his shoes. He felt his phone buzz and removed it from his pocket. It was a text from Maddie. A soft gasp escaped his lips as he opened the text. 

It was a picture of him, Buck, and Christopher. Christopher was laughing, his smile wide and his head thrown back. Buck and Eddie were pushing the sled, smiles on both of their faces. And then he noticed how Buck’s hand was over his. On the ice, he had thought it had just been to help him balance. But in the shot, it looked much more intimate. The whole moment did, like Maddie had captured a happy family, and that made his heart thump a little harder. 

“Unsurprisingly, Chris is down for the count.” Eddie tore his eyes from the phone towards Buck, who had come back into the living room. Buck tilted his head when he noticed the look on Eddie’s face. “Everything alright?”

“Uh yeah,” Eddie said as Buck crossed to the couch and sat down next to him. “Your sister just sent me a picture.” He handed his phone to Buck and Buck smiled at the picture on the screen. Eddie just watched him, his heart beating faster. They had had a moment on the rink but had been interrupted before Eddie could make up his mind. But now, alone in his house, with Christopher fast asleep down the hall, there was nothing stopping him from finally making a move. There was nothing stopping him from crossing that line and finding out if Buck reciprocated his feelings. 

“Buck?” The blonde looked up from the phone, the smile still on his face. “I…” Of course, now when he needed the words more than ever, he couldn’t find them. But Buck just watched him patiently. Eddie reached his hand out, gently cradling Buck’s cheek. “I...god, why is this so hard?”

“Matters of the heart always tend to be,” Buck said, his fingers interlacing with Eddie’s free hand. “But I guarantee, whatever you’re going to say, it’s the same for me.” Eddie felt his breath leave his body and Buck just smiled. Seeing the look in Buck’s eyes and the smile on his face, Eddie knew that this definitely wasn’t one-sided, that Buck felt the same that he did. 

So, he surged forward, his lips colliding with Buck’s. He cradled Buck’s face, pouring every word he couldn’t seem to find into that kiss. And Buck responded back with an equal fervor, his fingers knotting in Eddie’s shirt, pulling him closer and closer, until there wasn’t any space between them.

“I love you,” Eddie gasped out when he pulled away. “I love you so much, Buck. You’re always there for Christopher and I and I don’t want to make you wait forever to know how I feel. So, I love you.” Buck smiled and pressed a chaste kiss to his lips. 

“I love you too,” Buck said, as Eddie gently stroked his thumb across Buck’s cheek. “I’ve known that I felt this way for a while, but I wanted to wait until you were ready.” And if Eddie wasn’t already in love with Buck, he was sure he would’ve fallen head over heels all over again.

“I’m really glad I said something then,” Eddie said, pulling Buck back towards him for another kiss.

“Well you acted more than said anything,” Buck said with a smirk. Eddie rolled his eyes and gave Buck a look. “Right. I’ll shut up now.”

“Thank you.” And as they kissed, Eddie couldn’t help but smile, glad that he finally said something.

**Author's Note:**

> [Scream with me on my Tumblr?](https://doctornineandthreequarters.tumblr.com)


End file.
